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This fact may not be particularly unexpected, especially if you’ve read my books: I don’t like cooking.

So, I may not be the very best person to write about unexpected organizing in the kitchen. But, as always, I’ll show you what I do and challenge you to think about what you do. Perfection has never been the point of these posts, anyway. (Whew!)

Welcome back to the Unexpected Organizing Series! Are you ready for some of the cutest organizing I’ve ever done? (At least, I think so.)

How I love my kids’ craft area! I don’t want their craft supplies to be shoved into tubs they can’t reach or open without my help.., I want them to be able to create, instantly! I’d love to help you support your kids’ creativity and joy as well. So, here goes…

Welcome back to the Organizing Your Photos series, the Halloween edition!

So, Halloween is not my favorite holiday (as I wrote in this post about making Halloween about Jesus). I know that Christians have varied stances on Halloween, and I’m not trying to glamorize it. But I do believe the righteous can find joy, fun, and blessing in Halloween without stepping into wickedness.

And I do love seeing my kids all dressed up! I always take pictures. Since this is a holiday when I’m pretty much guaranteed to have at least one picture, Halloween makes for a perfect As-They-Grow album.

Welcome to what just might be my favorite Unexpected Organizing post: Unexpected Organizing for crafting!

If you’ve read Organizing You (which is about time and project management), you know that I’m a big proponent of scheduling time for yourself—time to relax and work on projects that fill you with joy. I also firmly believe that taking a Sabbath Day of rest each week is a commandment, not a suggestion, from our Lord who loves us. (This post addresses that in a fun way.)

Over the years I’ve enjoyed my Sabbath and “project time” with many various crafts. I’ve cross-stitched and scrapbooked. I’ve knitted and crocheted. I’ve made homemade cards and gift tags. I’ve sewed and hot-glued. I’ve made gifts and home décor. And in general I’ve collected a lot of crafting supplies.

“Whatever you read, read the Bible first. Beware of bad books: there are plenty in this day. Take heed what you read.”

-J.C.Ryle

I think books are wonderful.

At a recent speaking gig, I met a lovely pastor and fellow bibliophile. She and I chatted about books we love, books we want to read, and favorite authors. It quickly became clear that she owns far more books than I do. In fact, it sounded as though her books might be overwhelming her house…and her.

Welcome back, Friends! The previous Unexpected Organizing post was mainly about using kitchen organizers to streamline your getting-ready routine. Now I’m going to offer you ideas about using bedroom and office organizers in your mudroom (or just near your door) to help you leave your house!

As a mom of three, I know that getting everyone out the door can clutter a mom’s spirit. The easier we make it on them, the easier we make it on ourselves.

Jesus came that we might have life, and have it to the full. This is His kind of abundance—not stuff, but life!

A lot of wonderfully abundant life is lived on family vacations. To truly live in God’s abundance and enjoy His blessings, I’ve needed to re-frame how I look at vacations:

I want to enjoy anticipating a vacation—to embrace the planning and the exciting feelings about the joy to come.

I want to enjoy the vacation as it happens—to let my planning unfold and be flexible, to be in the moment, to relax. (I actually wrote an entirely separate post about vacation planning, and then relaxing.)

I need to enjoy remembering the vacation—to keep the joyful memories alive, to remember the good times, to tell the stories. This is where the Vacation Album comes in.

My goal is to help you clear out some spiritual clutter as you make your home as functional as possible. We want to fill our home with joy and peace, not stuff!

Nothing brings peace to a home like a smooth morning routine. God’s mercies are new in the mornings (Lamentations 3:22-23), and because of His graciousness we as moms can set a new tone with our families each morning. We want to get everyone out the door with happiness, not fuss. Today’s post is about little ways you can use organization to smooth out the “getting ready” process.

If you haven’t seen the earlier posts in this series, you may want to check them out here. The most important thing to know is that I’m encouraging you to enjoy your photos, not spend hours and hours making the perfect album.

Welcome to the second post in my Unexpected Organizing series! If you missed the post about bedroom furniture everywhere, please do check it out.

Reminder: I’m being super real with you, letting you in on how I do things around my home with photos that may not be “Pinterest Pretty.” And again, let me be clear that I don’t think you should organize just like me! I want to show you that you don’t have to organize “perfectly”—you just have to organize in a way that works for you and your family. I’m excited to share some ideas that may help you to clear some spiritual clutter out of your home.